Method for seaming cloths of protective clothing

ABSTRACT

A method for seaming cloths of protective clothing includes the steps of: preparing plural cloths for forming protective clothing; having the cloths to form two connecting areas, and then adhering the two connecting areas to form a joint band; utilizing a first auxiliary fixture to fold the joint band to form a folded joint band; utilizing a second auxiliary fixture to fold two lateral sides of a water-resistant cloth into two folded edge areas, and having the two folded edge areas to be adhered respectively onto the folded joint band, such that the water-resistant cloth wraps the folded joint band; and, applying a sewing machine needle to have a water-repellent thread to penetrate repeatedly the two folded edge areas and the folded joint band along a sewing path, so that the water-resistant cloth is fixed to the folded joint band. In addition, another method for seaming cloths is provided.

This application claims the benefit of Taiwan Patent Application SerialNo. 109127880, filed Aug. 17, 2020, and Taiwan Patent Application SerialNo. 109133898, filed Sep. 29, 2020, the subject matters of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a method, and more particularly to the methodfor seaming cloths of protective clothing.

(2) Description of the Prior Art

Manufacturing standard specifications for medical gowns and coverallprotective clothing belong to the category of personal protectiveequipment. Specifically, ANSI/AAMI PB70 is one of the standards for thiscategory. The ANSI/AAMI PB70 standard includes four levels. Each levelof the protective clothing is corresponding to specific use occasions.The higher the level, the better the protection of the clothing, bywhich better protection can be provided to users for avoiding blood andvirus infections. For example, to be within a test standard of Level 2,the result value of an AATCC 127 Hydrostatic Pressure Test shall belarger than or equal to 20 cmH2O, and the other test result of an AATCC42 Penetration Test shall be less than or equal to 1 g.

Nevertheless, in the art, if either the water-resistant treatment or thesplash water treatment upon seams of the protective clothing such as themedical gown and the coverall protective clothing is not properlyhandled, then the user wearing the protective clothing would bevulnerable unexpectedly to contamination of bio-liquid such as blood,saliva or sewage, such that the probability of virus or bacteriainvading the protective clothing can be uplifted to, thus, increaseuser's risk of infection.

In addition, a DuPont disclosure reveals that the hydrostatic-pressuretest result of a typical stitched seam prior to washing might be only 6cmH2O, yet the other hydrostatic-pressure test result of a typical boundseam prior to washing could be right up to 20 cmH₂O. This DuPontdisclosure is summarized in Table 1 as follows. It is noted that, if thetest result greater than 20 cmH₂O is wanted, additional water-resistanttapes are needed. Definitely, as such, result-in manufacturing cost ofthe already-expensive protective clothing would be further increased,and also the corresponding manufacturing difficulty would be increasedas well. Generally speaking, after washing, water-resistant performanceof the protective clothing would be downgraded. Theoretically, thehydrostatic-pressure test result would be lower than the aforesaid testresult prior to washing. Thus, according to the DuPont disclosure, itcan be reasonably concluded that, without additional water-resistanttapes, a sewed protective clothing reaching the test standard of Level 2is almost unfeasible.

TABLE 1 With additional AATCC 127 Stitched seam Bound seamwater-resistant tapes Prior to washing 6 cmH₂O 20 cmH₂O >20 cmH₂O

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view that seams of the conventional protective clothing may faceinevitable consequences of possible ill water-resistant or splash watertreatment, accordingly it is an object of the present invention toprovide a method for seaming cloths of protective clothing that canresolve at least one of the aforesaid shortcomings described above.

In one embodiment of this invention, a method for seaming cloths ofprotective clothing includes the steps of: preparing a plurality ofcloths for being sewed to form protective clothing; forming twoconnecting areas at one or neighboring two of the plurality of cloths,and then adhering the two connecting areas together by fixedlyoverlapping to form a joint band; utilizing a first auxiliary fixture tofold the joint band into a folded state so as to form a folded jointband; utilizing a second auxiliary fixture to fold two lateral sides ofa water-resistant cloth into two folded edge areas, and having the twofolded edge areas to be adhered respectively onto the folded joint band,such that the water-resistant cloth wraps the folded joint band; and,applying a sewing machine needle to have a water-repellent thread topenetrate repeatedly the two folded edge areas and the folded joint bandalong a sewing path, so that the water-resistant cloth is sewed fixedlyto the folded joint band.

In one embodiment of this present invention, the method for seamingcloths of protective clothing, further includes a step of utilizing asecond channel of the second auxiliary fixture to form two neighboringfolding areas to the water-resistant cloth, and a step of, while thewater-resistant cloth is leaving the second channel, utilizing thesecond auxiliary fixture to fold the two folding areas oppositely toform the two folded edge areas.

In one embodiment of this present invention, the plurality of clothsinclude at least one of a front-portion cloth, two sleeve-portion clothsand two rear-portion cloths.

In one embodiment of this present invention, each of the plurality ofcloths has a hydrostatic-pressure test result larger than or equal to 20cmH₂O.

In one embodiment of this present invention, each of the plurality ofcloths has the hydrostatic-pressure test result value to be larger thanor equal to 60 cmH₂O.

In one embodiment of this present invention, the water-resistant clothhas a hydrostatic-pressure test result larger than or equal to 20 cmH₂O.

In one embodiment of this present invention, the water-resistant clothhas the hydrostatic-pressure test result to be larger than or equal to60 cmH₂O.

In one embodiment of this present invention, each of the plurality ofcloths has a penetration test result less than or equal to 1 g.

In one embodiment of this present invention, the water-resistant clothhas a penetration test result less than or equal to 1 g.

In another embodiment of this invention, a method for seaming cloths ofprotective clothing includes: a step (a) preparing a plurality of clothsfor being sewed to form protective clothing; a step (b) of forming twoconnecting areas at one or neighboring two of the plurality of cloths,and then adhering the two connecting areas together by fixedlyoverlapping to form a joint band; a step (c) of utilizing an auxiliarybending fixture to bend oppositely two lateral sides of a water-resistcloth to form two bending areas, then adhering the two bending areasonto the joint band, and wrapping the joint band by the water-resistcloth; and, a step (d) of applying a sewing machine needle to have awater-repellent thread to penetrate repeatedly the two bending areas andthe joint band along a sewing path, so that the water-resistant cloth issewed fixedly to the joint band.

In one embodiment of this present invention, the step (c) of the methodfurther includes the steps of: utilizing a channel of the auxiliarybending fixture to form two neighboring temporary bending areas to thewater-resist cloth; and, while the water-resist cloth is leaving thechannel, utilizing the auxiliary bending fixture to fold oppositely thetwo temporary bending areas to form the two bending areas.

In one embodiment of this present invention, the plurality of clothsinclude at least one of a front-portion cloth, two sleeve-portion clothsand two rear-portion cloths.

In one embodiment of this present invention, each of the plurality ofcloths has a hydrostatic-pressure test result larger than or equal to 20cmH₂O.

In one embodiment of this present invention, each of the plurality ofcloths has the hydrostatic-pressure test result value to be larger thanor equal to 60 cmH₂O.

In one embodiment of this present invention, the water-resistant clothhas a hydrostatic-pressure test result larger than or equal to 20 cmH₂O.

In one embodiment of this present invention, the water-resistant clothhas the hydrostatic-pressure test result to be larger than or equal to60 cmH₂O.

In one embodiment of this present invention, each of the plurality ofcloths has a penetration test result less than or equal to 1 g.

In one embodiment of this present invention, the water-resistant clothhas a penetration test result less than or equal to 1 g.

As stated, the method for seaming cloths of protective clothing providedby this invention utilizes the first auxiliary fixture, the secondauxiliary fixture, the sewing machine needle and the water-repellentthread to form the folded joint band by folding the joint band of thecloth, then to form the folded edge area at the water-resistant cloth,and to wrap and fix by sewing the folded joint band by the folded edgearea. Alternatively, the method utilizes the auxiliary bending fixture,the sewing machine needle and the water-repellent thread to form thejoint band from the cloths, and then to add the bending area of thewater-resist cloth area to wrap and sew fixedly with the joint band. Incomparison with the prior art, the manufacturing process of thisinvention is much simpler, and needs only the sewing to make thewater-resistant quality comply with related laws and regulations(without any demand in water-resistant tape). In addition, after severalwashing, the water-resistant quality of the protective clothing of thisinvention can still satisfy the related laws and regulations, especiallythe water-resistant quality in the shoulder seam, the sleeve seam andthe joint seam. Thereupon, the possibility of water or liquid invadingthe protective clothing can be significantly lowered, and so the risk ofinfection for the user can be substantially reduced.

All these objects are achieved by the method for seaming cloths ofprotective clothing described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be specified with reference to itspreferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a first embodiment of the method for seamingcloths of protective clothing in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a first auxiliary fixture and a secondauxiliary fixture for the first embodiment of FIG. 1 in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 3 demonstrates schematically that cloths enter the first auxiliaryfixture of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cloths of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 demonstrates schematically that a water-resistant cloth entersthe second auxiliary fixture of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the water-resistant clothof FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 demonstrates schematically that the water-resistant cloth leavesthe second auxiliary fixture of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the water-resistant clothof FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 demonstrates schematically that the cloths are wrapped by thewater-resistant cloth of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the water-resistant clothwrapping the cloths of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the protective clothing in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a second embodiment of the method for seamingcloths of protective clothing in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 13 demonstrates schematically that a water-resistant cloth entersan auxiliary bending fixture of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cloths of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 demonstrates schematically that the water-resistant cloth leavesthe auxiliary bending fixture of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the water-resistant clothof FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 demonstrates schematically that the cloths are wrapped by thewater-resistant cloth of FIG. 16; and

FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the water-resistant clothwrapping the cloths of FIG. 17.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The invention disclosed herein is directed to a method for seamingcloths of protective clothing. In the following description, numerousdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe present invention. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the artthat variations of these specific details are possible while stillachieving the results of the present invention. In other instance,well-known components are not described in detail in order not tounnecessarily obscure the present invention.

Refer to FIG. 1 through FIG. 11 together; where FIG. 1 is a flowchart ofa first embodiment of the method for seaming cloths of protectiveclothing in accordance with the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematicview of a first auxiliary fixture and a second auxiliary fixture for thefirst embodiment of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention,FIG. 3 demonstrates schematically that cloths enter the first auxiliaryfixture of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of thecloths of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 demonstrates schematically that awater-resistant cloth enters the second auxiliary fixture of FIG. 2,FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the water-resistant clothof FIG. 5, FIG. 7 demonstrates schematically that the water-resistantcloth leaves the second auxiliary fixture of FIG. 2, FIG. 8 is aschematic cross-sectional view of the water-resistant cloth of FIG. 7,FIG. 9 demonstrates schematically that the cloths are wrapped by thewater-resistant cloth of FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectionalview of the water-resistant cloth wrapping the cloths of FIG. 9, andFIG. 11 is a schematic view of the protective clothing in accordancewith the present invention.

As shown, the first method for seaming cloths of protective clothingincludes Steps S101 to S106 as follows.

Step S101: Prepare a plurality of cloths for sewing to form protectiveclothing.

Step S102: Have one or two neighboring cloths to form two connectingareas, and further adhere the two connecting areas together by fixedlyoverlapping to form a joint band.

Step S103: Apply a first auxiliary fixture to fold the joint band into afolded state so as to form a folded joint band.

Step S104: Have a water-resistant cloth to form two neighboring foldingareas by utilizing a second channel of a second auxiliary fixture.

Step S105: Utilize the second auxiliary fixture to have thewater-resistant cloth just leaving a second channel of the secondauxiliary fixture to form two folded edge areas by folding oppositelythe two folding areas, respectively.

Step S106: Utilize a sewing machine needle to have a water-repellentthread to pass repeatedly the two folded edge areas and the folded jointband along a sewing path, such that the water-resistant cloth can besewed and fixed to the folded joint band.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the method for seamingcloths of protective clothing is to utilize the first auxiliary fixture1 and the second auxiliary fixture 2, as shown in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 2, the first auxiliary fixture 1 is furnished with a firstchannel H1 formed roughly in a spiral shape. Preferably, the firstauxiliary fixture 1 has a first end portion S1 and a second end portionS2, in which the first channel H1 is wider at the first end portion S1than at the second end portion S2. The second auxiliary fixture 2 isfurnished with a second channel H2 formed roughly in a lying M shape.Preferably, the second auxiliary fixture 2 has a third end portion S3and a fourth end portion S4, in which the second channel H2 is wider atthe third end portion S3 than at the fourth end portion S4.

In Step S101, at least a cloth C1 and another cloth C2 are prepared forbeing sewed into forming a protective clothing 100. The cloth C1 has aconnecting area A1, and the cloth C2 has another connecting area A2.

In Step S102, the connecting area A1 of the cloth C1 would be adheredonto the connecting area A2 of the cloth C2 by fixed overlapping so asto form a joint band.

In Step S103, the first channel H1 of the first auxiliary fixture 1 isutilized to fold and pattern the joint band there-along into a foldedstate, so that a folded joint band M1 can be formed, as shown in FIG. 4.

Further, in detail, the joint tap formed by adhering the cloth C1 ontothe cloth C2 would enter the first channel H1 via the first end portionS1, and then move forward in a first direction D1. After entering thefirst channel H1 of the first auxiliary fixture 1, the joint band wouldbe gradually folded into a folded joint band Ml, as shown schematicallyin FIG. 4, while the joint band travels along the first channel H1.Since the cloth C1 and the cloth C2 are both soft cloths unable to fillthe entire first channel H1, thus, in a practical cross-sectional view,some twinkles or uneven surfaces may be encountered. However, thefeasible cross section of the folded joint band M1 is roughly conformedto the first channel H1. Preferably, since the first channel H1 is widerat the first end portion S1 than at the second end portion S2, thus thejoint band can be progressed easily after entering the first channel H1.

In Step S104, the second auxiliary fixture 2 would be introduced with awater-resistant cloth C3, and the second channel H2 thereof wouldconform the water-resistant cloth C3 to form two neighboring foldingareas A3, A4, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. As described above, sincethe water-resistant cloth C3 is simply another soft cloth, thus, in apractical cross-sectional view, some twinkles or uneven surfaces mayexist and show differences in comparison to FIG. 6. However, the realcross section of the water-resistant cloth C3 would be substantiallyconformed to the second channel H2. In addition, since the secondchannel H2 is wider at the third end portion S3 than at the fourth endportion S4, thus the water-resistant cloth C3 can be much more easily toenter and travel along the second channel H2 in a second direction D2.Practically, the second direction D2 is substantially perpendicular to,but not limited thereto, the first direction D1.

In Step S105, as soon as the water-resistant cloth C3 leaves the secondchannel H2 via the fourth end portion S4, it would be subjected tofollow the first direction D1. The second auxiliary fixture 2 isfurnished with two limit parts 21, and thus, while the water-resistantcloth C3 is moved in the first direction D1, the limit parts 21 thereofwould act as two lateral constraints for the water-resistant cloth C3,as shown in FIG. 7. At this timing that the water-resistant cloth C3leaves the second channel H2, the two folding areas A3, A4 are formed.With the help of the two limit parts 21, the water-resistant cloth C3leaving the second channel H2 would be laterally folded to form twofolded edge areas A5, A6. As shown, the folding area A3 would beconformed into the folded edge area A5, and the folding area A4 would beconformed into the folded edge area A6.

Further, in detail, after the two opposing lateral sides of thewater-resistant cloth C3 are folded to form the respective folded edgeareas A5, A6, the junction of the two folding areas A3, A4 of thewater-resistant cloth C3 (i.e., the central top portion of FIG. 6) wouldbe conformed to be the right-hand-side vertical connecting portionthereof shown in FIG. 8.

Then, after the water-resistant cloth C3 leaves the second channel H2 tofollow the first direction D1, the two folded edge areas A5, A6 of thewater-resistant cloth C3 would wrap the folded joint band M1 formed bythe cloth C1 and the cloth C2, as shown in FIG. 9.

In Step S106, after the folded edge areas A5, A6 wrap the folded jointband M1, a sewing machine needle 3 would be applied to sew together thefolded edge areas A5, A6 and the folded joint band M1 via having awater-repellent thread L to penetrate repeatedly along a sewing path,such that the water-resistant cloth C3 can be sewed fixedly to thefolded joint band M1, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.

With the folded edge areas A5, A6 to be sewed fixedly with the foldedjoint band M1 according to the aforesaid pattern, the water-resistantperformance of the protective clothing would be significantly improved.In addition, for the first embodiment of the method for seaming clothsof protective clothing provided by this invention utilizes the firstauxiliary fixture 1 and the second auxiliary fixture 2, thus the entiremanipulation of the method would be much easy and rapid.

In the present invention, the cloths C1, C2 can be part of afront-portion cloth 101 of the protective clothing 100, two differentsleeve-portion cloths 102 a, 102 b, or two different rear-portion cloths103 a, 103 b. In addition, in the drawings, though two different clothsC1, C2 are integrated by overlapping to form the joint band, yet, insome other embodiments of this invention, the two cloths C1, C2 can betwo lateral sides of the same cloth (for example, the cloth C1) to beadhered together by folding for forming a joint band.

Generally speaking, two shoulder seams SE1 a, SE1 b, two sleeve seamsSE2 a, SE2 b, and two joint seams SE3 a, SE3 b are critical seams forfor producing the protective clothing 100.

In the art, due to ill production stability of water-resistant qualityat the shoulder seams SE1 a, SE1 b, the sleeve seams SE2 a, SE2 b, andthe joint seams SE3 a, SE3 b, from which standards in laws andregulations are hard to fulfill, thus seams at the shoulder (SE1 a, SE1b), the sleeves (SE2 a, SE2 b) and the joints (SE3 a, SE3 b) becomemanufacturing thresholds of the protective clothing 100. At these seams,liquids or bacteria are easy to invade the protective clothing 100, suchthat the risk of infection to the users would be hiked. In addition,after several washing, the water resistance of the protective clothing100 would be substantially reduced. Generally, more washing, moresignificant reduction in water resistance can be expected.

With the method for seaming cloths of protective clothing provided bythis invention, the aforesaid problems in critical seams of theprotective clothing can be remarkably improved by sewing the folded edgeareas A5, A6 of the water-resistant cloth C3 to the folded joint bandM1.

Further, in detail, with the folded joint band M1 formed by the firstauxiliary fixture 1, unexpected fluid invasion by water or any liquidcan be totally inhibited. Since the folded joint band M1 is wrapped bythe folded edge areas A5, A6 of the water-resistant cloth C3, thus thefolded state of the folded joint band M1 can be permanently withheld,and also the concern upon the water or liquid invasion at the foldedjoint band M1 can be completely waived.

With the water-repellent thread L to penetrate repeatedly through thefolded edge areas A5, A6 and the folded joint band M1, thewater-resistant cloth C3 can be sewed fixedly to the folded joint bandM1, so the folded state of the folded joint band M1 can be permanentlykept, and also the folded edge areas A5, A6 of the water-resistant clothC3 can be always there for water resistance. Since the water-repellentthread L is a material of water resistance, thus needle holes at thefolded edge areas A5, A6 and the folded joint band M1 made by the sewingmachine needle 3 can reject water or liquid due to the insertion of thewater-repellent thread L. Thus, in comparison with related conventionaldesigns, the protective clothing 100 provided in this invention canwithstand water or liquid invasion through the needle holes.

It is noted that no testing standard is legally made for antiquating thewater resistance of the water-repellent thread L. However, awater-resistant test upon the water-repellent thread L of the inventionis carried out anyway for assuring the water resistance. Thiswater-resistant test includes the following steps. Firstly, thewater-repellent thread L of this invention and an ordinary sewing threadare partly dipped into the same color solution in a vertical overheadsuspension manner. Then, after a period of time, it is found that,though the color of the solution will climb up 1-2 cm above the solutionat the ordinary sewing thread, no color is advanced upward along thewater-repellent thread. Accordingly, it can be confirmed empiricallythat the water-repellent thread L of this invention does provide betterwater resistance.

In this embodiment, the sewing machine needle 3 is a needle with aneedle size from 60 to 90 (compared to Asia needle size 8 to 14), andthe thread size of water-repellent thread L is Tex 24-60, or any threadsize of 50/2, 60/3, 40/2, 50/3, 30/2, 40/3, 30/3 and 20/2. Thehydrostatic-pressure test results at the cloths C1, C2 or thewater-resistant cloth C3 are all larger than or at least equal to 20cmH₂O; preferably, larger than or equal to 60 cmH₂O. Also, thepenetration test results at the cloths C1, C2 or the water-resistantcloth C3 are all less than or equal to 1 g.

The aforesaid test results at the hydrostatic pressure test or thepenetration test meet the test standard of Level 2 according toANSI/AAMI PB70 having four levels, in which the hydrostatic pressuretest is the test AATCC 127—Water Resistance: Hydrostatic Pressure Test,and the penetration test is the test AATCC 42—Water Resistance: ImpactPenetration Test. To meet the test standard of Level 2, thehydrostatic-pressure test result shall be larger than or equal to 20cmH₂O, and the penetration test result shall be less than or equal to 1g.

After the protective clothing 100 is sewed according to the firstembodiment of the method for seaming cloths of protective clothingprovided by this invention, test results of AATCC 127 and AATCC 42 arelisted as follows in Table 2.

TABLE 2 AATCC Average 127 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 value Prior to 42 42 5343 56 50 42 42 42 55 47 cm washing H₂0 After 30 31 33 28 37 32 57 38 5056 53 41 cm washing H₂0 AATCC 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Average 42 valuePrior to <0.1 g <0.1 g washing After 30 <0.1 g <0.1 g washing

From 10 tests of AATCC 127, it is found obviously that the protectiveclothing 100 made by the first embodiment of the method for seamingcloths of protective clothing of this invention performs excellently ineither the hydrostatic pressure test or the penetration test, and ineither the state prior to washing or the state after 30 washing. Aslisted, the average hydrostatic-pressure test result prior to washing(47 cmH₂O) is far better than the test standard (20 cmH₂O) of Level 2,and, even after 30 washing, the average hydrostatic-pressure test result(41 cmH₂O) is still superior to the test standard of Level 2.

On the other hand, in the listed 10 AATCC 42 tests, in either the stateprior to washing or another state after 30 washing, all the penetrationtest results fulfill the test standard of Level 2 (less than or equal to1 g).

For a comparison purpose, in the aforesaid DuPont disclosure, the testresult for a stitched seam was fairly 6 cmH₂O, and the test result for abound seam was just up to 20 cmH₂O. It is noted that these results wereall taken from a state prior to washing, and additional water-resistanttapes were proposed for demanding test results over 20 cmH₂O.

Thus, after the protective clothing 100 is produced according to thefirst embodiment of the method for seaming cloths of protective clothingprovided by this invention, the water resistance can be significantlyimproved. In addition, it is confirmed by experimental results that thewater resistance can fulfill the required standard even after severalwashing. In other words, the first embodiment of the method for seamingcloths of protective clothing in accordance with the present inventioncan be applied to any medical clothing of Level 2, and, with simplysewing, no additional water-resistant tape is required.

Then, refer together to FIG. 11 through FIG. 18; where FIG. 12 is aflowchart of a second embodiment of the method for seaming cloths ofprotective clothing in accordance with the present invention, FIG. 13demonstrates schematically that a water-resistant cloth enters anauxiliary bending fixture of FIG. 12, FIG. 14 is a schematiccross-sectional view of the cloths of FIG. 13, FIG. 15 demonstratesschematically that the water-resistant cloth leaves the auxiliarybending fixture of FIG. 13, FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional viewof the water-resistant cloth of FIG. 15, FIG. 17 demonstratesschematically that the cloths are wrapped by the water-resistant clothof FIG. 16, and FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view of thewater-resistant cloth wrapping the cloths of FIG. 17.

As shown, the second method for seaming cloths of protective clothingincludes Steps S201 to S205 as follows.

Step S201: Prepare a plurality of cloths for sewing to form protectiveclothing.

Step S202: Have one or two neighboring cloths to form two connectingareas, and further adhere the two connecting areas together by fixedlyoverlapping to form a joint band.

Step S203: Apply a channel of an auxiliary bending fixture upon awater-resistant cloth to form two neighboring temporary bending areas.

Step S204: After the water-resistant cloth leaves the channel of theauxiliary bending fixture, the two neighboring temporary bending areasare formed as two bending areas folded oppositely to each other.

Step S205: Utilize a sewing machine needle to have a water-repellentthread to pass repeatedly the two bending areas and the joint band alonga sewing path, such that the water-resistant cloth can be sewed andfixed to the joint band.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the method forseaming cloths of protective clothing is to utilize the auxiliarybending fixture 1 a, as shown in FIG. 13.

In FIG. 13, the auxiliary bending fixture 1 a is furnished with achannel H1 a formed roughly in a lying-M shape. Preferably, theauxiliary bending fixture 1 a has a first end portion S1 a and a secondend portion S2 a, in which the this channel H1 a is wider at the firstend portion S1 a than at the second end portion S2 a. In this secondembodiment, the auxiliary bending fixture 1 a is structurally resembledto the second auxiliary fixture s of the first embodiment, the first endportion S1 a is the third end portion S3 of the first embodiment, andthe second end portion S2 a is the fourth end portion S4 of the firstembodiment.

In Step S201, at least a cloth C1 a and another cloth C2 a are preparedfor being sewed into forming a protective clothing 100. The cloth C1 ahas a connecting area A1 a, and the cloth C2 a has another connectingarea A2 a.

In Step S202, the connecting area A1 a of the cloth C1 a would beadhered onto the connecting area A2 a of the cloth C2 a by overlappingso as to form a joint band M1 a. In addition, after the connecting areaA1 a of the cloth C1 a is adhered onto the connecting area A2 a of thecloth C2 a, the joint band M1 a is extended in a first direction D1.

It shall be explained that, in this second embodiment, the cloths C1 a,C2 a and those C1, C2 of the aforesaid first embodiment aresubstantially the same. The only difference between these twoembodiments is that the joint band M1 a of the second embodiment don'tundergo a folding process to become the folded joint band M1 of thefirst embodiment.

In Step S203, the auxiliary bending fixture 1 a would receive awater-resist cloth C3 a, and the channel H1 a of the auxiliary bendingfixture 1 a would be applied upon the water-resist cloth C3 a so as toform two neighboring temporary bending areas A3 a, A4 a. It shall beexplained that, in this second embodiment, the water-resist cloth C3 aand that C3 of the aforesaid first embodiment are substantially thesame. The only difference between these two embodiments is that thewater-resist cloth C3 a of this second embodiment does not stuff theentire channel H1 a, but only the middle portion of the channel H1 a isstuffed of the water-resist cloth C3 a; i.e., having a cross-sectionalview as shown in FIG. 14. Since the water-resist cloth C3 a is not arigid material, thus a practical cross-sectional view might presentsightly differences an angles or shapes to FIG. 14. However, it would betrue that the water-resist cloth C3 a would occupy the entire middleportion of the channel H1 a. In addition, the first end portion S1 a ofthe channel H1 a is larger in dimension than the second end portion S2 athereof, such that the water-resist cloth C3 a can be easily pulled intothe channel H1 a and to displace smoothly inside the channel H1 a in asecond direction D2. Practically, the second direction D2 issubstantially perpendicular to, but not limited to, the first directionD1.

In Step S204, when the water-resist cloth C3 a leaves the second endportion S2 a of the channel H1 a, it would be manipulated to displace inthe first direction D1. The auxiliary bending fixture 1 a has two limitparts 11 a. Thus, when the water-resist cloth C3 a is displaced in thefirst direction D1, the movement thereof would be confined by the limitparts 11 a (referring to FIG. 15 and FIG. 18). Then, two temporarybending areas A3 a, A4 a would be formed after the water-resist cloth C3a passing the channel H1 a, Upon when the water-resist cloth C3 a leavesthe channel H1 a after being confined by the limit parts 11 a, oppositetwo bending areas A5 a, A6 a oppositely folded to each other are formed.As shown, the temporary bending area A3 a would become the bending areaA5 a, while the temporary bending area A4 a becomes the bending area A6a.

Further, in detail, after the two opposing lateral sides of thewater-resistant cloth C3 a are oppositely folded, the junction of thetemporary bending area A3 a and the temporary bending area A4 a (i.e.,the top arc portion at the middle-right side of FIG. 14) would beconformed to the junction of the bending area A5 a and the bending areaA6 (i.e., the vertical portion at the middle-right side of FIG. 16).

Then, after the water-resistant cloth C3 a leaves the channel Hla tofollow the first direction D1, the two bending areas A5 a, A6 a of thewater-resistant cloth C3 a would wrap the joint band M1 a formed by thecloth C1 a and the cloth C2 a, as shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18.

In Step S205, after the bending areas A5 a, A6 a wrap the joint band M1a, a sewing machine needle 2 a would be applied to sew together the twobending areas A5 a, A6 a and the joint band M1 a via having awater-repellent thread La to penetrate repeatedly along a sewing path,such that the water-resistant cloth C3 a can be sewed fixedly to thejoint band M1 a, as shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18. It shall be explainedthat the sewing machine needle 2 a and the water-repellent thread La ofthis second embodiment are substantially the same as those 3, L of theprevious first embodiment. Thus, details thereabout would be omittedherein.

With the bending areas A5 a, A6 a to be sewed fixedly with the jointband M1 a according to the aforesaid pattern, the water-resistantperformance of the protective clothing would be significantly improved.In addition, for the second embodiment of the method for seaming clothsof protective clothing provided by this invention utilizes the auxiliarybending fixture 1 a, thus the entire manipulation of the method would bemuch easy and rapid.

In this embodiment, the cloths C1 a, C2 a can be part of a front-portioncloth 101 of the protective clothing 100, two different sleeve-portioncloths 102 a, 102 b, or two different rear-portion cloths 103 a, 103 b.In addition, in the drawings, though two different cloths C1 a, C2 a areintegrated by adhering to form the joint band M1 a, yet, in some otherembodiments of this invention, the two cloths C1 a, C2 a can be twolateral sides of the same cloth (for example, the cloth C1 a) to beadhered together by overlapping for forming the joint band M1 a.

As crucial concerns, weakness and risks of the protective clothing 100have already been described above, with the method for seaming cloths ofprotective clothing provided by this embodiment to sew the bending areasA5 a, A6 a of the water-resistant cloth C3 a onto the joint band M1 a,the aforesaid problems can be remarkably improved.

Further, in detail, with the joint band M1 a, unexpected fluid invasionby pressurized water or any liquid can be withstood. Since the jointband M1 a is wrapped by the bending areas A5 a, A6 a of thewater-resistant cloth C3 a, thus water or liquid invasion via the jointband M1 a can be completely waived.

With the water-repellent thread La to penetrate repeatedly through thebending areas A5 a, A6 a and the joint band M1 a, the water-resistantcloth C3 a can be sewed fixedly to the joint band M1 a. Since thewater-repellent thread La is a material of water resistance, thus needleholes at the bending areas A5 a, A6 a and the joint band M1 a made bythe sewing machine needle 2 a can reject water or liquid due to theinsertion of the water-repellent thread La. Thus, in comparison withrelated conventional designs, the protective clothing 100 provided inthis invention can withstand water or liquid invasion through the needleholes.

After the protective clothing 100 is sewed according to the secondembodiment of the method for seaming cloths of protective clothingprovided by this invention, test results of AATCC 127 and AATCC 42 arelisted as follows in Table 3.

TABLE 3 AATCC Average 127 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 value Prior to 44 46 4850 44 50 42 48 48 40 46 cm washing H₂0 After 30 44 41 50 45 35 46 43 4348 49 44 cm washing H₂0 AATCC 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Average 42 valuePrior to <0.1 g <0.1 g washing After 30 <0.1 g <0.1 g washing

From 10 tests of AATCC 127, it is found obviously that, for theprotective clothing 100 made by the second embodiment of the method forseaming cloths of protective clothing of this invention, the averagehydrostatic-pressure test result prior to washing (46 cmH₂O) is farbetter than the test standard (20 cmH₂O) of Level 2, and, even after 30washing, the average hydrostatic-pressure test result (44 cmH₂O) isstill superior to the test standard of Level 2.

In the listed 10 AATCC 42 tests, in either the state prior to washing oranother state after 30 washing, all the penetration test results fulfillthe test standard of Level 2 (less than or equal to 1 g).

Thus, after the protective clothing 100 is produced according to thesecond embodiment of the method for seaming cloths of protectiveclothing provided by this invention, the water resistance can besignificantly improved. In addition, it is confirmed by experimentalresults that the water resistance can fulfill the required standard evenafter several washing. In other words, the second embodiment of themethod for seaming cloths of protective clothing in accordance with thepresent invention can be applied to any medical clothing of Level 2,and, with simply sewing, no additional water-resistant tape is required.

In summary, the first embodiment of the method for seaming cloths ofprotective clothing provided by this invention adopts the firstauxiliary fixture, the second auxiliary fixture, the sewing machineneedle and the water-repellent thread to form the folded joint band byfolding the joint band of the cloth, and to form the folded edge areasat the water-resistant cloth so as further to wrap and sew fixedlytogether with the folded joint band. Alternatively, the secondembodiment of the method for seaming cloths of protective clothingprovided by this invention adopts the auxiliary bending fixture, thesewing machine needle and the water-repellent thread to form the jointband by confining the cloths and to form the bending areas of thewater-resist cloth for wrapping the joint band. In comparison with theprior art, the method of this invention is much simpler, and, with puresewing by waiving additional water-resistant tapes, the resulted waterresistance can successfully meet the laws and regulations. In addition,even after several times of washing, the protective clothing produced bythe method of this invention can still satisfy the water-resistantrequirements, especially to the seams at the shoulder, the sleeves andthe joints. Thereupon, unexpected water or liquid invasion to theprotective clothing can be avoided, and thus possible risk of infectioncan be substantially lowered.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may bewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for seaming cloths of protectiveclothing, comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a plurality of clothsfor being sewed to form protective clothing; (b) forming two connectingareas at one or neighboring two of the plurality of cloths, and thenadhering the two connecting areas to form a joint band; (c) utilizing afirst auxiliary fixture to fold the joint band into a folded state so asto form a folded joint band; (d) utilizing a second auxiliary fixture tofold two lateral sides of a water-resistant cloth into two folded edgeareas, and having the two folded edge areas to be adhered respectivelyonto the folded joint band, such that the water-resistant cloth wrapsthe folded joint band; and (e) applying a sewing machine needle to havea water-repellent thread to penetrate repeatedly the two folded edgeareas and the folded joint band along a sewing path, so that thewater-resistant cloth is sewed fixedly to the folded joint band.
 2. Themethod for seaming cloths of protective clothing of claim 1, wherein thestep (d) further includes the steps of: (d1) utilizing a second channelof the second auxiliary fixture to form two neighboring folding areas tothe water-resistant cloth; and (d2) while the water-resist cloth isleaving the second channel, utilizing the second auxiliary fixture tofold the two folding areas oppositely to form the two folded edge areas.3. The method for seaming cloths of protective clothing of claim 1,wherein the plurality of cloths include at least one of a front-portioncloth, two sleeve-portion cloths and two rear-portion cloths.
 4. Themethod for seaming cloths of protective clothing of claim 1, whereineach of the plurality of cloths has a hydrostatic-pressure test resultlarger than or equal to 20 cmH₂O.
 5. The method for seaming cloths ofprotective clothing of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of clothshas the hydrostatic-pressure test result value to be larger than orequal to 60 cmH₂O.
 6. The method for seaming cloths of protectiveclothing of claim 1, wherein the water-resistant cloth has ahydrostatic-pressure test result larger than or equal to 20 cmH₂O. 7.The method for seaming cloths of protective clothing of claim 6, whereinthe water-resistant cloth has the hydrostatic-pressure test result to belarger than or equal to 60 cmH₂O.
 8. The method for seaming cloths ofprotective clothing of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of clothshas a penetration test result less than or equal to 1 g.
 9. The methodfor seaming cloths of protective clothing of claim 1, wherein thewater-resistant cloth has a penetration test result less than or equalto 1 g.
 10. A method for seaming cloths of protective clothing,comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a plurality of cloths for beingsewed to form protective clothing; (b) forming two connecting areas atone or neighboring two of the plurality of cloths, and then adhering thetwo connecting areas to form a joint band; (c) utilizing an auxiliarybending fixture to bend oppositely two lateral sides of a water-resistcloth to form two bending areas, then adhering the two bending areasonto the joint band, and wrapping the joint band by the water-resistcloth; and (d) applying a sewing machine needle to have awater-repellent thread to penetrate repeatedly the two bending areas andthe joint band along a sewing path, so that the water-resistant cloth issewed fixedly to the joint band.
 11. The method for seaming cloths ofprotective clothing of claim 10, wherein the step (c) further includesthe steps of: (c1) utilizing a channel of the auxiliary bending fixtureto form two neighboring temporary bending areas to the water-resistcloth; and (c2) while the water-resist cloth is leaving the channel,utilizing the auxiliary bending fixture to fold oppositely the twotemporary bending areas to form the two bending areas.
 12. The methodfor seaming cloths of protective clothing of claim 10, wherein theplurality of cloths include at least one of a front-portion cloth, twosleeve-portion cloths and two rear-portion cloths.
 13. The method forseaming cloths of protective clothing of claim 10, wherein each of theplurality of cloths has a hydrostatic-pressure test result larger thanor equal to 20 cmH₂O.
 14. The method for seaming cloths of protectiveclothing of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of cloths has thehydrostatic-pressure test result value to be larger than or equal to 60cmH₂O.
 15. The method for seaming cloths of protective clothing of claim10, wherein the water-resistant cloth has a hydrostatic-pressure testresult larger than or equal to 20 cmH₂O.
 16. The method for seamingcloths of protective clothing of claim 10, wherein the water-resistantcloth has the hydrostatic-pressure test result to be larger than orequal to 60 cmH₂O.
 17. The method for seaming cloths of protectiveclothing of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of cloths has apenetration test result less than or equal to 1 g.
 18. The method forseaming cloths of protective clothing of claim 10, wherein thewater-resistant cloth has a penetration test result less than or equalto 1 g.